--> ABSTRACT: Reservoir Characterization of the Gordon Sandstones in Northern West Virginia, by David L. Matchen, Ronald R. McDowell, and Katharine Lee Avary; #90906(2001)
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David L Matchen1, Ronald R McDowell1, Katharine Lee Avary1

(1) West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, Morgantown, WV

ABSTRACT: Previous HitReservoirNext Hit Previous HitCharacterizationNext Hit of the Gordon Sandstones in Northern West Virginia

The Gordon trend is well defined in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. For a Previous HitreservoirNext Hit Previous HitcharacterizationNext Hit study of the Gordon in the Jacksonburg-Stringtown oilfield, the distribution of Previous HitreservoirNext Hit-quality sandstone within the Gordon was described and mapped. The Gordon was subdivided into three stratigraphic Previous HitunitsNext Hit composed of four distinct lithologies: conglomerate, pay sandstone, non-pay sandstone and shale. Of these, only the pay sandstone was consistently porous and permeable and can be distinguished from the non-pay sandstone by the absence of sedimentary structures. Non-pay sandstone is denser and displays a variety of sedimentary structures. The Previous HitreservoirNext Hit in the area appears to be compartmentalized into thin, laterally continuous Previous HitflowNext Hit-Previous HitunitsNext Hit separated vertically by low-permeability sandstone and shale. Because of the great distance from the assumed clastic source in the Acadian Mountains, the volume of conglomerate observed in the Gordon was larger than expected. Conglomerates are currently interpreted as a lag formed at the top of the section during a local transgression that forced the shoreline eastward. The conglomerates were probably initially deposited in single pebble layers that were subsequently reworked into a pavement. This is consistent with conditions found at Cape Romain, South Carolina, where thin, well-sorted sandstones migrate landward in response to a local transgressive event and are overlain by lags composed of shell material. The Gordon Previous HitreservoirTop in the Stringtown field may be the result of stacking of several small, transgressive sand bars. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (contract number DE-AC26-98BC15104).

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90906©2001 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado